Kasparov attempts an AI comeback

Games company Blizzard and agency Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners [BSSP] have created a mini-documentary which follows Chess Grandmaster and former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov as he aims to perfect his Hearthstone skills.

Called The Brain’s Last Stand, the six-minute film references Kasparov’s notorious 1997 chess game against an AI opponent, when the Grandmaster - considered to be the greatest chess player the world has ever seen - lost to a computer called Deep Blue. 

This campaign, directed by m ss ng p eces' Lance Oppenheim, follows Kasparov as he prepares for a different kind of showcase match. Over the course of a few weeks, the film shows Kasparov being taught the game by the Hearthstone team, learning the strategies to give him the confidence to become a competitive player. On match day, when Kasparov thinks he is playing against an AI rival, his real opponent turns out to be a professional Hearthstone player, Slysssa, who was behind the scenes playing against him in another room. 

"Kasparov’s battle against the AI was iconic," said Sinan Dagli, BSSP’s Executive Creative Director. "We wanted to make sure we told the tales of the match in 1997 and set the scene for Garry’s new challenge in Hearthstone. The documentary approach gave us the freedom to show Kasparov's incredible journey of learning Hearthstone and going up against AI once again."

"I've long admired Garry Kasparov, ever since seeing the documentary Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine," added Oppenheim. "I first watched it when I was 10-years-old, and its hyper-stylised, paranoid thriller elements (made up from the stuff of everyday life) really stuck with me and went on to influence my work as a director. Kasparov is the perfect documentary subject - one of the greatest strategic thinkers alive, he’s a natural fit for Hearthstone; a game that, much like chess, requires a deep amount of strategy, preparation, and mental acuity. Being involved in this project and getting to work with a legend and one of my personal heroes was a dream come true."